Fort Adams

<br><b>History you can Touch</b><br>Explore the casemates where the big guns once roared.<br><br>Discover how 8 soldiers worked together to load and fire each cannon.<br><br>Step into the quarters where the soldiers and their families lived.<br><br>Ascend to the scenic overlook for a breathtaking view of Narragansett Bay and Newport Harbor.<br><br>Stroll the 6&#189; acre parade field and the maze of the defensive outerworks.<br><br>Enter . . . if you dare . . . one of the listening tunnels beneath the walls of the fort.<br><br><b>A National Historic Landmark & Official Project of Save America’s Treasures</b><br>During the 19th century, the defense of key cities and harbors along coastlines of the United States depended on an extensive system of coastal fortifications. Forts were built from Maine to Florida to protect the homeland from foreign naval powers. Fort Adams, completed in 1857 and named in honor of President John Adams, was one of the largest and most complex of these magnificent structures and is a superlative example of military engineering. Designed for 468 cannon and 2400 troops, the fort’s massive walls and outerworks spread over twenty acres and incorporated elements of the art of fortification that are unmatched in the United States. Fort Adams, largely unaltered over the years, still stands today symbolically guarding Narragansett Bay and Newport Harbor.